There are significant rumors swirling regarding what type of penalties Penn State University will be handed down Monday by the NCAA, but they seem to be consistent. It appears as though PSU football will lose bowl eligibility for multiple seasons, suffer multiple scholarship reductions and be fined tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars. There could be more handed down by NCAA President Mark Emmert, there could be more handed down by the Big Ten Conference.

The penalties coming just after a statue of former Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno was removed from outside Beaver Stadium in State College. The penalties have been explained as being less than “the death penalty” famously handed down to Southern Methodist University over 20 years ago by the NCAA. The penalties however are thought to be potentially as bad as possible while football is still allowed to be played.

I’ve thought a lot about the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State over the last year. I’ve written a good bit about Sandusky, Paterno and others in recent weeks. I’ve spoken even more during the course of my radio show. I guess I would describe myself as “fascinated” with the story. I will work under the assumption that I’m not the only one.

Some will debate the merits of the penalty handed down by the NCAA. I’ll probably work with the thought that there isn’t a penalty that I’d consider too strong. I’m not sure how much more really needs to be said about that, truthfully.

I’ll admit that the one statement I can’t help but continuously repeat over and over again is “Thank God I’m not at all associated with Penn State.” Thank God I don’t have to think about this. Thank God I don’t have to feel any culpability and guilt towards the fact that I worshipped a coach and a program that was willing to risk the wellbeing of children in order to protect their own reverence. Thank God I never helped build a community where sport was more important than human life.

But a particular Facebook post I came across this weekend caught me off guard and made me think a bit. HFS morning show host Maynard Edwards mockingly posted about the Baltimore Ravens’ re-signing of RB Ray Rice earlier this week, jesting about his overall lack of concern about the sport of football. He followed up a question about why he didn’t like football with a particularly interesting answer…

“Our national obsession with that particular sport I believe has gotten a tad bit out of hand. I realize it didn’t happen in the NFL, but when we(‘ve) got people more willing to go along with the (rape) of children in order to preserve a stupid game, we might need to do a national (gut) check on that.”

For the sake of full disclosure, Maynard Edwards is one of the first people that helped me get into the radio industry. He’s also the last person I would have thought I would have ever quoted in a sports column.

It’s an interesting thought process. Perhaps the culture created by rapid Penn State fans that believed “football above all” was more about the culture of the game itself. Perhaps all football fans at all levels (NFL, college, high school) need to ask themselves if their obsession with the game would interfere with their ability to do the right thing and take a stand against a criminal.

BALTIMORE — When the Maryland Terrapins face the Virginia Cavaliers this Monday, it will really be just a lacrosse game between two familiar ACC foes.

Well, except for the fact that we all know if will be so much more than that.

With their 9-4 defeat of Duke Saturday in front of 45,039 at M&T Bank Stadium in the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament Final Four, the University of Maryland stands on the cusp of their first NCAA Championship since 1975.

If you’re a casual lacrosse fan who wasn’t aware of that, I’m sure you’re about as stunned about that fact as I was when I first really got into lacrosse.

And that was 18 years ago.

While first year head coach John Tillman and this incredible group of veteran Terps deserve great praise for the outstanding season they’ve put together after the sudden (but not all that stunning) dismissal of former head coach Dave Cottle following their quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame a season ago, simply getting back to Memorial Day for the first time since 1998 likely won’t be enough for a fanbase that believes they should be competing annually for national championships.

(This will be tough to do for most Terrapin supporters-but give former Athletic Director Debbie Yow credit. She made the move to dismiss Cottle and hire Tillman. Maryland fans were disappointed the school couldn’t get Notre Dame’s Kevin Corrigan or Cornell’s Jeff Tambroni-who went to Penn State. Just one season in, it already looks like a good move. Cottle might have been able to guide this group to a Charm City title game appearance, but Tillman did. It’s noteworthy.)

The fact is that Maryland will either claim just their third national championship Monday or will suffer a loss in either the semifinals or final for the 21st time in program history.

It’s one game, but the outcome of the one game will make all of the difference for a fickle fanbase that believes Final Fours are a birthright and national championships should be won regularly.

You can’t win national championships regularly until you get rid of a pesky drought that now approaches four decades of despair.

It’s not necessarily fair to hand 36 years of frustration to a group of young men that mostly had no idea they’d ever don a Maryland jersey until some point in the last five years. That being said, these young men will have the chance to cement their collective legacies by putting an end to this horrible streak.

Like I said, no pressure.

Senior attackman Grant Catalino didn’t attempt to hide from the pressure following the game. “It’s kind of a feeling that you’re playing for the teams that have played here the last 30 years” said Catalino, noting that the former players have shown his team great support.

When they take the field Monday, the Terrapins will be playing for not only every student athlete that has taken the field over the last 36 years, but every alum and fan that has rooted for them in that time period as well.

They’ll be playing for every supporter in the area that has exclaimed “we’re the biggest school in the state that is the home of the sport! Why can’t we win in lacrosse?”

They’ll be playing for everyone who supported the great players during the eras when Cottle and Dick Edell got close, but couldn’t get over the hump.

It will be one game against one opponent, but it will mean so much more.

For his part, Tillman has attempted to convey to his team that the drought-while lengthy-isn’t a burden but rather an opportunity to do something that would be meaningful for the entire state.

“It would mean so much to everybody (to win a title)” said Tillman after the game, “that it makes us work harder.”

Standing in the way will be Virginia, a program that has won three national championships since Maryland last played for a title. Coached by Dom Starsia, the Cavs have certainly taken advantage of the fact that the Terrapins haven’t exactly been a dominant power in recent years. In the process, Starsia has become the winningest coach in the history of Division I lacrosse.

The Terrapins overwhelmed the Wahoos 12-7 in Charlottesville back on April 2nd in the only meeting this season between the teams. While Maryland has certainly been better down the stretch (avenging regular season losses to North Carolina and Duke by beating both twice now down the stretch, also stunning Syracuse in Foxborough in the quarterfinals), so has Virginia. It was evident in the Cavaliers’ 14-8 dismantling of Denver in Saturday’s first semifinal.

Unlike the Terrapins, the Cavaliers aren’t playing against 36 years of unfortunate history.

But if John Tillman’s message has been received correctly, the Terrapins aren’t actually playing against their own history, but rather building for a celebration that’s been 36 years in the making.

-G

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. — I will admit that I had an almost child-like nature about me after learning the news that iconic University of Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams had decided to retire after 22 seasons.

“Honestly, can Maryland basketball really exist without Gary Williams” I thought to myself.

It was a humorously honest response on my part. Like many others throughout Baltimore and Washington, the name Gary Williams has become synonymous with the existence of Maryland basketball for me.

As news trickled out about Williams’ retirement, I was relieved to hear that the former Terps guard intended to stay on as an Assistant Athletic Director and Special Assistant to Athletic Director Kevin Anderson.

In my mind, Maryland basketball still couldn’t go on without Williams-but could go on as long as he stayed in the picture. But “staying in the picture” only lasted as long as the first question I asked Williams Friday in front of 2,500 fans at Comcast Center.

“You’re not gonna see me a lot around here specifically” the potential future Hall of Famer told me. “The new coach-this is his deal now.”

Williams would later explain that his new role with the school was more “consultant” than actual position.

All of this meant Maryland basketball really might have to go on without Williams. I wasn’t certain it was possible.

You see, I was born only 27 years (and eight months if you’re scoring at home) ago. I think I might remember there being a coach at the school before Williams came along, but the words “Bob Wade Era” really don’t mean anything to me no matter how many times I hear them.

I’ve watched the “Amen Chorus” to end the 1984 ACC Championship Game probably a million times on YouTube. It’s tangible proof that my alma mater once really did employ a man named Lefty Driesell in the same role.

Given the number of times I’ve listened to Williams describe himself playing basketball for a man named Bud Millikan, I feel compelled to believe there was once another head coach of the Terrapins. Checking the school’s media guide (or perhaps just their Wikipedia page), there are allegations that men named Burton Shipley, Flucie Stewart and Frank Fellows held control of the same basketball program.

I say “allegations” because I never saw it with my own eyes.

With my own eyes, I’ve only ever really seen one head coach in College Park. The same coach that has snapped at me on more than one occasion in a post-game press conference.

My first memories of Terps hoops surround players like Walt Williams, Evers Burns and Kevin McLinton. I’m told Derrick Lewis was a good player before that; and players like Len Bias, John Lucas, Adrian Branch and Len Elmore were even better, but I never watched any of those players take the floor for as much as a single game.

For me, there has really only ever been one coach in Maryland basketball history. The coach that lead the team to their first (and second) trips to the Final Four, their first NCAA Championship and countless other accomplishments over 22 seasons.

For me, I’m not completely certain a basketball game is even legally allowed to begin in College Park without at least a trademark fist pump. I mean, will the new coach do that to?

(I’m kidding, of course.)

That coach appeared to be quite at peace with his decision to step away Friday.

“You can take it back to 2002 when I thought about it briefly after winning the National Championship” said Williams. “I remember how (Al) McGuire quit after Marquette won, and I thought it was a great thing to leave after winning the National Championship. Then I checked my bank account.”

“My players this year were great players” added Williams, “and we tried to do everything we (could) to win as many games as we (could). It was great coaching them. It’s not about that. It’s about you as a Person whether you’ll get the opportunity in those number of days. You never know what this time in your life is or where you are with the time in your life. I feel healthy. I’ve got great people around me, new wife…and we’ll see what happens.”

If Williams is peaceful about his decision, not all Maryland fans share his easiness. A number of fans have pointed to turmoil in the athletic department over the last year. In the last 12 months, changes have been at men’s lacrosse coach (John Tillman replaced Dave Cottle), Athletic Director (Anderson replaced Debbie Yow), football coach (Randy Edsall replaced Ralph Friedgen) and now men’s basketball coach.

Of those departing, Williams is the longest-tenured and clearly the most successful. So successful that a generation of fans in the area knows little to nothing about the program that doesn’t involve Williams.

Maryland will ultimately hire a new basketball coach. In fact, the process might happen very quickly. Arizona’s Sean Miller, Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon and Villanova’s Jay Wright have been named as popular candidates to replace Williams.

Whoever gets the job will become just the second man to enter the basketball coaches’ office at Comcast Center (Williams admitted he had nearly “ten years worth of junk” to clear out before leaving). That man will also inherit a generation of fans that knows nothing more than wild success without NCAA investigation under the guidance of an alum.

It will certainly be a daunting task for any coach to take on. Even more daunting if Anderson and School President Wallace Loh are successful in their plan to convince the school’s board of regents to put Williams’ name on the Comcast Center floor.

As daunting as the task of replacing the legend will be for the next head man at Maryland, simply accepting a new head coach will be uncomfortable for those of us who are not familiar with the idea that anyone besides Williams can stand on the home bench in College Park.

For those of us struggling with that thought, Williams offered some hope that he’ll still be around the program from time to time.

“There is a little visibility that comes with coaching, but I’ve never been one to go hide somewhere. You make choices. I like people. I like talking to people about basketball-things like that. That part of it never bothered me.”

With that in mind, we can hope that Williams won’t hide from the Maryland program. He’d be badly missed. But no more than by those of us who are still in a bit of disbelief that the University really is named “Maryland.”

For a long time, I’ve been much more of the opinion that the school had legally accepted the moniker “Garyland.”

Perhaps they should have.

-G

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Terps fans braced themselves this week to deal with the official realization that Jordan Williams would not be back with the program next year. The news that followed however…Well there was simply no way to prepare for the bombshell that head coach Gary Williams would be riding off into the proverbial sunset as well. That however is exactly where fans of the Terps find themselves today.

While the reasons behind the sudden move may never be altogether clear, it’s good to see Williams going out on his own terms at least…or so it would seem anyway. As the outpouring of respect comes down now from fans, media, contemporaries and adversaries alike it’s clear that whomever endeavors to take on this job has a lot to live up to. It’s also pretty clear that new Athletic Director Kevin Anderson can consider himself “all-in” less than one year into his tenure, having turned over alumnus head coaches now in both revenue sports whether fully by his own design or not.

Maybe enough was simply enough for Gary, and the Jordan Williams news was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Having watched his career play out for the last two decades plus though, I’m having a hard time buying that the fight just got to be too much for Gary Williams. It was the fight after all that seemed to bring out the best in Williams, and that same fight that defined team after team throughout his tenure. Moreover, there have been rumblings about Jordan Williams’ lack of class attendance circulating for weeks. If the news of his announcement wasn’t much of a surprise to most Terps fans, I doubt it was a surprise to his coach either.

It’s surely not inconceivable that the business side of college hoops may have ultimately broken Williams faith in basketball as he knew it, but given his dedication to doing things the right way and building for the long term with honor and integrity and commitment to his alma mater, Williams departure at this time, and the position that it potentially leaves the program in seems contrary to the way that he’s conducted business here for the last 22 years. Surely the Terps will be scrambling to find a replacement, and even getting big time coaches to risk their current recruiting classes by interviewing at this time of year should be tough. After taking complete care of the program for over 20 years, I’m having a tough time believing he’d depart, on his own terms at a time when it’s detrimental to the program.

I’m more prone to believe (100% speculation) that Jordan Williams departure may have led to a meeting of the minds between Gary Williams and Anderson that may have fractured the coaches footing with the new AD or vice-versa perhaps. Or maybe Debbie Yow’s accusations about Williams muddying the waters in her coaching search had a little more merit than Gary was willing to admit when questioned about it. The conspiracy theorist in me wants to think that Yow may have “advised” Anderson that she was set to take action against Gary and the Terps and did him the courtesy of allowing Anderson to clean his own house first.

If indeed that were anywhere close to true, it’d be a fitting irony that Williams got swept out in a housecleaning of that kind. Ironic because of all of the proverbial garbage that Williams had to clean up in his efforts to make his alma mater respectable again. The job that Williams did here is often spoken of as a restoration of Terps pride and tradition, but with all due respect, Williams’ achievements far surpassed any reasonable expectations or historical precedent in school history. He took the program over at its nadir and brought it to levels unimaginable even without the backdrop of the Wade and Bias scandals.

My Dad and I had a five game mini-plan back in the early Gary Williams days. I’ll never forget the Walt the Wizard and Everest Burns led Terps that helped to build the foundation that would eventually attract the likes of Johnny Rhodes and Exree Hipp and Joe Smith and maybe most importantly Keith Booth. That team led to an era of Terps hoops that I’m afraid may never happen again. And sadly for me, it’s also the realization that in the now less than 3-years since I’ve lost my Dad, all of “his guys” have been supplanted. This really is no longer my father’s’ sports town.

The coming weeks, and seasons for that matter, will be interesting. The last twenty plus years, have been truly unbelievable…unimaginable. Coach Williams, and Coach Keith Booth and Coach Rob Ehsan and Coach Bino Ranson were all great friends to my show during a trying season this year to say the least. I’m hopeful and confident that they’ll all land on their feet soon. I am equally hopeful but far less confident that the Terps will do the same anytime soon.

INDIANAPOLIS, In. — Greetings from LucasOil Stadium, where we are in attendance for the NFL Scouting Combine. Here are a few notes from a busy Saturday in the media center…

-Believe the hype surrounding Mount Union WR Cecil Shorts. At least believe the hype that the Baltimore Ravens are interested in the Division III prospect; which was confirmed by Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta.

Shorts told me Saturday he met with the team’s entire coaching staff in a formal interview setting Friday night. General Manager Ozzie Newsome was also involved in the interview according to the 6 foot receiver.

Shorts also played cornerback and even some quarterback during his time at the small Ohio college, but made the strong statement to reporters Saturday that “wide receiver is the position I’ll be playing.” Shorts was part of the Raiders’ 2008 National Championship team.

I’d expect to hear more about Shorts in my next Draft preview column.

-The BIGGEST star of the day was Auburn QB Cam Newton. Most of this year’s quarterback class in the NFL Draft met with reporters Friday, but Newton came in Saturday and received the type of attention usually saved for someone like Paul McCartney. My colleague Nestor Aparicio offered this picture via Twitter (@WNST)…

Honestly, it was crazier than that. Of course, Newton sparked that fire in commenting that he “wanted to be an icon” after recently announcing a partnership with Under Armour. Newton read a prepared statement to clarify those comments when he reached the podium in Indy.

As exciting as the arrival of the Heisman Trophy winner and BCS Champion was, Newton is almost certainly not on the Ravens’ radar.

Other players generating a buzz upon making an appearance in the media center included Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, North Carolina DT Marvin Austin, Georgia WR AJ Green and Oregon LB Clay Matthews.

-Matthews was one of a number of players who confirmed to me Saturday they had met either formally or informally with the Ravens this weekend.

Texas DE Sam Acho, Virginia Tech DL John Graves, Georgia FB Shaun Chapas, Oklahoma DE/LB Jeremy Beal, Southern Arkansas DE Cedric Thornton and Oklahoma State LB Orie Lemon were amongst a group of players who confirmed they had met with scouts or position coaches.

A number of players told me they hadn’t yet met with the Ravens but believed they would Saturday evening or later in the weekend; including Texas A&M DE Von Miller.

Other players were more coy about who they had met with, including Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn and California DE Cameron Jordan.

-A common theme amongst the Linebackers in the room Saturday? They all look up to future Hall of Fame Ravens LB Ray Lewis. Lemon and Illinois LB Martez Wilson in particular pointed out they admired the perennial Pro Bowler and hoped to shape their careers in similar ways.

West Virginia RB Noel Devine told reporters his role model was former Ravens CB Deion Sanders. Devine and Sanders are both represented by agent Eugene Parker. Devine said Sanders once brought him for a visit of the Ravens’ 1 Winning Drive facility in Owings Mills.

Appalachian State LB D.J. Smith noted that former Ravens (and Mountaineers) TE Daniel Wilcox had been a good influence for him during his final season in Boone. Wilcox returned to his alma mater in 2010 to finish his degree and helped out the ASU staff during football season.

Acho told me he was very close with Ravens LB Sergio Kindle, but hadn’t spoken with Kindle much since the latter suffered a fractured skull in an accident at a friend’s house in Austin.

-There were no Maryland Terrapins in the media center Saturday, but two players talked to me about their connections to the Terps.

Spencer spoke glowingly about his relationship with former Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow during his final season at NC State. He described Yow as a “strong lady” who was “always positive” and who appeared to be very comfortable at “home” in Raleigh. Spencer commented that Yow was particularly interested in seeing the Wolfpack beat the Terps in College Park, but NCSU fell 38-31.

UConn RB Jordan Todman said Head Coach Randy Edsall’s decision to leave Connecticut for Maryland played no role in his decision to skip his senior season and enter the Draft. Todman told me he held no grudge towards the new head coach in College Park, but told me to expect Edsall to bring a more authoritative personality to the job.

-There is plenty of audio available from players in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net. Hear from the following potential future Ravens…

Oregon LB Casey Matthews

Louisville RB Bilal Powell

UConn RB Jordan Todman

Iowa DE Adrian Clayborn

Arizona LB Brooks Reed

Ohio State DE Cameron Heyward

Cal DE Cameron Jordan

Texas A&M DE Von Miller

Boise State WR Titus Young

Texas DE Sam Acho

Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett

LSU LB Kelvin Sheppard

Wisconsin DE JJ Watt

Clemson DE Da’Quan Bowers

-I passed a long a few comments Saturday morning that I heard from various National Football League sources regarding the Ravens’ offseason Defensive Coordinator change. One NFL coach told me, “The Ravens have a chance now with (New DC Chuck) Pagano. The other guy (Greg Mattison) didn’t know what he was doing.”

Other statements I heard from NFL sources said similar things.

Make sure you continue to follow us @WNST on Twitter for all of the latest from Indianapolis.

-G

(Headline photo courtesy of Cleveland Plain-Dealer)

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Despite Maryland’s NCAA tournament hopes looking bleak with five games remaining in the regular season, Comcast Center is abuzz for tonight’s contest with NC State.

Former Terp and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez will have his No. 21 jersey raised to the rafters at halftime in what figures to be an emotional moment in College Park.

And while he wouldn’t admit, Gary Williams has some extra incentive taking on NC State with former Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow now holding the same position in Raleigh.

Despite the subplots, the Terps (16-10, 5-6 ACC) desperately need to stack wins to keep their remote tournament hopes alive and figure to have an excellent chance against Sidney Lowe’s Wolfpack. North Carolina State (14-11, 4-7 ACC) has won two in a row against Clemson and Wake Forest but has underachieved in what appears to be Lowe’s swan song season with the Wolfpack.

Maryland has won seven straight against the Wolfpack and looks to rebound from a disappointing 0-2 road trip with critical losses at Boston College and Virginia Tech in the last eight days.

Tonight’s game will be televised on Fox Sports Net (locally on Comcast SportsNet) beginning at 5:30 with Ron Thulin, Dan Bonner, and Debbie Antonelli calling the action.

As always, join us in the Turtle Power live chat at 5:30 and follow us on Twitter (@WNST) as Glenn Clark and I bring live updates and analysis from College Park.

Look-golf is terrible and impossible to watch on TV or in person. Everyone knows that. It’s completely inarguable. It’s an awful game that no one should ever play and there’s ABSOLUTELY no reason why any human being would EVER watch the thing on TV. There’s less of a reason to watch in person.

Except for when they’re golfing at TPC Scottdale.

You see, the scene at the Phoenix Open…it’s not too bad…

And it’s also the home of the 16th hole. It makes watching golf somehow seem LESS unbearable…

After beating the 23rd-ranked North Carolina State Wolfpack 38-31 in their regular-season finale Saturday at Byrd Stadium, the Maryland Terrapins (8-4, 5-3 ACC) put the final touch on a season that can only be described as a “success.”

It might not be the type of success that will make fans in Baltimore and DC rush to purchase season tickets (Saturday’s attendance was only an announced 35,370), as it won’t end with an ACC Championship Game appearance and could possibly result in only a trip to the Military Bowl at RFK Stadium.

But by picking up win no. 8 against an NC State (8-4, 5-3) squad that would have clinched a berth in next week’s title game at Bank of America Stadium, the Terps bridged the gap between “good story” and “successful season.”

Then, athletic director Debbie Yow (who departed College Park for Raleigh in July) announced last December that she would retain head coach Ralph Friedgen. In an interview with Drew Forrester shortly thereafter on AM1570 WNST, she made it clear that her expectation for Friedgen’s 2010 Terps was at least a 7-5 finish.

Despite Yow being replaced in the AD post by Kevin Anderson this fall, it remained fair for those around the Maryland program to have an expectation for the Terps to finish the season 7-5. If Friedgen’s team really was moving in the right direction, their 2010 schedule was not so daunting that it couldn’t result in at least seven victories.

The way Maryland came about victory no. 8 makes it even more impressive. After a November 20th loss to Florida State eliminated Maryland from having any chance of reaching Charlotte, it would not have been stunning to see the Terps roll over against the ‘Pack. Quarterback Russell Wilson and NCSU were still very much alive in the ACC title game picture, with legitimate dreams of an Orange Bowl berth.

It appeared as though that possibility would come to fruition early on Saturday, as the Terps fell behind 14-0 after two offensive possessions for each team. But freshman quarterback Danny O’Brien rallied the Terps, connecting with receiver Torrey Smith four times for touchdowns (a school record for the receiver), and the Terrapins wouldn’t allow another NC State touchdown until the fourth quarter, after they had already built a 21-point advantage.

There was particular emotion evident from Maryland players and coaches (including an exuberant leap from defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo following a fourth quarter sack by DL Drew Gloster) throughout the game. It was a stark contrast to what happened two seasons ago, when Maryland was eliminated from the ACC title picture in a blowout loss to the Seminoles, then finished the season with another loss at Boston College.

Friedgen said he was concerned about the possibility of a letdown.

“It was hard. I was concerned about it going into today’s game. I kinda talked to them last night. I said ‘things in life that you really want, you don’t always get. But sometimes it’s darkest before the dawn. And if you keep persevering and you keep working, sometimes all of a sudden good things happen.’ I said, ‘I know how down you are, but there’s nothing we can do about that but go back to work.'”

Friedgen’s words rang true with Maryland players.

“We were upset we weren’t playing for an ACC title because we felt like we were good enough to play in a game like that,” said O’Brien. “But like coach said, we still had a lot to play for. I think we got up to play where a lot of teams might not have.”

“He just told us we still had a lot to play for,” said senior linebacker Alex Wujciak. “Going to a good bowl game, finishing right on Senior Night, beating a ranked team, there’s still a lot of things that this game meant for us.”

Finishing a regular season with eight wins does not solve all of the problems surrounding the Maryland football program (as Saturday’s attendance made clear), but it absolutely offers a statement of hope for 2011 no matter what happens in Maryland’s bowl appearance.

The Terrapins clearly have a quarterback who they can expect big things from in O’Brien. Just 10 of the 44 players on their 2-deep roster (offense and defense) participated in Saturday’s Senior Day even — meaning the team will bring back plenty of talent (Smith could also be tempted to throw his name into the NFL Draft).

But 2010 was not just a season about building expectations for the future. It was a regular season that gave fans both thrills and memories. The final stop against Navy at M&T Bank Stadium, the debut of O’Brien against Florida International, the emotional win at BC after Pete DeSouza’s scooter accident and the offensive shows against Morgan State, Virginia and NC State will not be forgotten by the fans that had the pleasure of watching and following.

The 2010 Terrapins were not a team that made a good run or simply took advantage of a soft schedule. The 2010 Terrapins were a good team.

A good team whose on-field performance is deserving of being remembered as a success.

After a 2-10 season in 2009 and last week’s heartbreak of being eliminated in the ACC title race, the win most certainly capped the emergence of a Maryland team from darkness.

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because I get to name a couple new “Greatest Song(s) of All Time This Week.”

Have you heard the new Kings of Leon CD “Come Around Sundown”? NO? This is no one’s fault but your own. You’re missing “The End”…

And in the “retro” category, TGSOATTW is my current Facebook status (add me as a friend by searching “Glenn Clark” and clicking on the best looking guy you find). It’s the amazing “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog…

The more you looked at the hit, the more you realized he was very deserving of being HEAVILY fined. Meriweather’s hit was ABSOLUTELY in the “cheap shot” realm-the type of hit that the NFL will be looking to lay out a suspension for moving forward.

With Heap having come back into the game Sunday-it appears as though he’s fine and it seems like we can move forward from Brandon Meriweather-gate.

Now-and a tip of the hat here to KDKA in Pittsburgh-the league IS doing something right in cracking down on hits where a player leads with his helmet. In order to that, it is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE and frankly downright SHAMEFUL that they are currently selling this picture of James Harrison’s fine inducing hit on Mohamed Massquoi…

John Harbaugh is ABSOLUTELY right in this case. The Ravens’ failure to execute on big plays-mixed with New England’s consistent execution-were why the Ravens lost the game Sunday.

Sadly, Cam Cameron had nothing to do with Billy Cundiff kicking the ball out of bounds, or Le’Ron McClain’s personal foul, or Tom Brady finding Rob Gronkowski for 24 yards on 1st and 25, or Chris Carr not catching a Zoltan Mesko punt.

Those plays lost the game Sunday.

But that’s the end of it. As of this moment, I’m not discussing it any more.

The shame is that the entire team can’t be there. Brandon Stokley (Seattle Seahawks WR) has a game Sunday and Shannon Sharpe, Brian Billick and Tony Siragusa are broadcasting for CBS and FOX. Unfortunately, the Ravens do not have a home game this season that isn’t on a Sunday, so there really isn’t a game where the schedule would work out better.

And I’d like to take this time to honor these guys as well. To do so, here’s a picture of Petra Silander. Thanks Guyism!

Which means I’ll have an annual opportunity to be flamed on Deadspin. Count me in!

Before we move on from the Ravens, a couple of things…

-The Ravens return to work at 1 Winning Drive in Owings Mills today, and we’ll of course be back out there with full coverage. Ed Reed and Brendon Ayanbadejo are scheduled to return to the practice field; and we’re expecting to hear from Harbaugh, Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis, Ray Rice and others while we’re out there. Stay tuned to AM1570 WNST, follow us on Twitter @WNST and make sure you’re checking WNST.net throughout the day!

-Did you miss Yahoo! Sports NFL analyst Jason Cole Wednesday with Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today here at WNST.net to have a listen. Some other things you can hear in the Audio Vault include…

Hear that sound? That’s the sound of me ripping up the World Series tickets I had already purchased for 2011.

Eh. Maybe instead Andy MacPhail and the Birds will spend their money on a real pitcher like Cliff Lee. I mean, I know they won’t-but it’s early and I’m tired. I guess I must be dreaming.

While we’re on the O’s, I wasn’t NEARLY as worked up about the Robinson Cano home run last night as some fans were. I giggled thinking about Jeffrey Maier, but it certainly didn’t anger me.

I love seeing the New York Yankees lose-TRUST ME on that. I was grinning from ear to ear. But unless it was Tony Torasco standing in Right Field, it wasn’t going to bother me that the Yanks got a questionable call.

If it had been Tony Torasco; I would’ve walked around Perry Hall Middle School completely dejected today just to remember the feeling.

And it looks like Ralph Friedgen is going to try to get Jamarr Robinson to learn the “Josh Portis Package”, so hopefully Robinson will actually take some time and learn the playbook.

Sticking with O’Brien seems to be the best way to go for the Terps, as he looks like he’ll give them the best chance to win. My guess is that a win won’t come against a tough Eagles defense Saturday in Chestnut Hill; but he might give them a chance to win next Saturday against Wake Forest.

It’s a little bit more than Debbie Yow was making, but I think that was to be expected. The salary might also say something about why they went with Anderson for the top job in College Park instead of one of the rockstar names (UConn’s Jeff Hathaway, Oklahoma’s Joe Castiglione) who probably make more money staying where they are.

I feel like if I were putting together a contract for a significant job, it would read more like a concert rider than it would a real contract.

“Mr. Clark requests 4 Vitamin Waters and a table of Chick-Fil-A sandwiches in his suite for every game at Byrd Stadium.”

Sure it would probably cost me some cash, but it would be freaking AWESOME.

You don’t expect that this will make a difference against the Fighting Irish, but given that the last three games in the series (including two wins for the Midshipmen in South Bend) have all been decided by six points or less, this clearly COULD have an impact.

The bigger issue will be whether Ricky Dobbs and the Mids’ offense is back on track after a big second half against SMU. If so, this is certainly a winnable game in East Rutherford Saturday.

TJ Houshmandzadeh was plenty entertaining at 1 Winning Drive Tuesday-whether it was saying Cincinnati Bengals coaches were “nervous” before facing the Baltimore Ravens or saying his departure from Seattle had “nothing to do with football.” He was intelligent and engaging, and made a press conference interesting.

Unfortunately, an impressive press conference doesn’t count for any wins in the AFC North standings. What happens on the field will matter MUCH more than anything that happens in any press conference.

Unless of course something like one of these happens at a Ravens press conference this season. That WOULD be newsworthy…

If the Ravens don’t get Sergio Kindle back this season, the decision to trade Antwan Barnes to Philadelphia looks more and more foolish to me.

I have a bad feeling that pass rush will be an area of concern within a month or so of the start of the season. Bringing in Josh Wilson improves the secondary, but the secondary will only be as good as the pass rush will allow it to be.

Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce are the most important puzzle pieces, but the team will need to be able to get a rush from elsewhere. The number of injuries the team could help Paul Kruger or Edgar Jones be active against the Jets Monday night, and if so they’ll need to show some ability to get to the quarterback to stay active.

I just feel like it’s going to be a concern. Getting Kindle back between Week 6 and Week 9 could help that.

Jackson wouldn’t be a player they’d be looking at for the active roster (which could have something to do with why he didn’t join the team Tuesday), but instead to join the practice squad after Prince Miller signed with the New England Patriots.

-As you already know, Jaworski will be part of the broadcast team Monday; as he, Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya will have the call for ESPN from the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford.

-The Ravens return to the practice field today for a “bonus day” in Owings Mills. We’ll be out there live, and I’ll check back in with Thyrl Nelson at 12:30 on “The Mobtown Sports Beat” and Rex Snider at 4:30 on “The Afternoon Drive” to let you know what’s going on in Ravensland.

Look-you don’t have to even bother asking if I watched last night. I played in my weekly Tuesday night Kickball/Ultimate Frisbee showdown in Bel Air, then I came home to watch Kim Clijsters and Rafael Nadal in Flushing Meadows.

And since I haven’t been watching the games, I will admit that I’m always skeptical when I check back to see the scores. I mean, the O’s can’t REALLY be on the verge of a sweep in The Bronx, can they? They couldn’t REALLY have beaten CC Sabathia last night thanks in part to a Nolan Reimold homer, could they?

There’s so much evidence that it almost HAS to be true, but I’ll continue to admit that I’m skeptical. Can you blame me?

-Jake Arrieta went 6 and a third last night, allowing just 2 earned runs on 8 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 3.
-Not only did Reimold homer, but Ty Wigginton went 2-4 with a double, run scored and RBI; Nick Markakis went 2-4 with a run scored and RBI; and Brian Roberts went 2-5 with a run scored.

So-as has become a new custom around here-I encourage you to ABSOLUTELY go look at the numbers, but then come back to check out Jodi Gordon courtesy of The Beer Goggler via Busted Coverage…

-The Birds and Yanks wrap their 3 game series this week with a matinee showdown at Yankee Stadium. Brad Bergesen takes the hill against Ivan Nova, first pitch is on MASN at 1:05pm.

-Did you miss Bowie Baysox manager Brad Komminsk wrapping up the season with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today here at WNST.net to check it out. Some other things you can find in the Audio Vault include…

There’s no question that Debbie Yow left the Terrapins’ athletic program in very good shape-both on the field and economically.

That being said, the school would clearly like to see their “money” sports competing at a more consistent national level.

That’s where Kevin Anderson comes in.

There are two pieces in place now with Dr. Loh established as President and Anderson as Athletic Director.

Now everything shifts to the football program.

A win over Navy was nice, but Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin know exactly what they’re up against. The leadership of the school and the department will have to decide what they’re looking for, and whether the current head coach and/or the head coach in waiting can meet those expectations.

They might not be coaching for their jobs-but I don’t think it’s unfair to say they very well could be.